Concert
Reflection
I
think that our ensemble performed very well in both of the pieces that we
played. In After the Rain, I felt that our entrance was a little bit shaky and
unsure. I could hear people around me start to come in, then doubt themselves
and wait. That happened a couple of times until most of us started together. After
we got into the next few measures, the tone of the orchestra started to come
out and become richer. I used vibrato on all of the half, three quarter and
whole notes and I could hear immediately how much better it sounded, and I
think a lot of people were using vibrato because the tone sounded very warm and
clear. The whole second violin section seemed to be together for the most part,
because the watchers such as myself and my stand partner were closer to the
back and the people that tend to cue and help keep the section together were in
the front. There were not very many people cueing this time, but I think that
is because it was the first concert and most of our new orchestra members
weren’t used to cueing to keep the section together. After we played our first piece,
I really enjoyed the harp solos and duet. The harp has a very pretty and clear
sound that rings out and falls over the whole audience and creates a peaceful
feeling. I enjoyed the first solo and the duet the most. I feel that the sound
of a harp might complement some of our pieces in Orchestra. The trill on the
harp would have sounded really nice in the background of After the Rain, and
some of the lower notes might have sounded nice in the background of
Illumination. I felt that our second piece Illumination sounded very good. The
second violins worked on letter G in our sectional time, and I think we got the
notes and the rhythms down really well. The divici notes also sounded really
good, because the high and lower tones complemented each other and really made
the mood of the piece come together. The moods of After the Rain and
Illumination seemed to contrast, with After the Rain being sadder and quieter,
and Illumination being more upbeat and energetic. The length of the pieces were
also perfectly timed, not too long and not too short. I felt that our ending to
Illumination was very good. Looking around, I could see that most people had
ended at the same time and at the same part of the bow.
